Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport

Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport by Griffin, Pat. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780880117296.

Former athlete and coach Pat Griffin makes a provocative and impassioned call for attention to a topic too long avoided by womens sports advocates. In Strong Women, Deep Closets, she provides a critical analysis of discrimination and prejudice against lesbians in sport. The book is the first to explore the lesbian sporting experience as well as examine homophobia and heterosexism in womens sport. The work is based on theoretical and historical foundations and is written in an academic yet engaging style. Griffin brings to light the experiences of lesbian coaches and athletes in their own words. Strong Women, Deep Closets concludes with Griffins assessment of the current state of lesbians rights in athletics, set against the overall social picture in the United States. The author lists obstacles lesbian athletes face in transforming sports and details numerous personal and political strategies for leveling the playing field.